Karen's Musical
by Asher J
Summary: Let Them Entertain You. Karen and her family and friends are involved with Gypsy at the Civic Center.
1. The Stoneybrook Kids

_**KAREN'S MUSICAL**_

**CHAPTER 1: The Stoneybrook Kids**

**_"I'_**_m-a-live! And the world shines for me-e-e today; I'm-a-live! Suddenly-y, I am he-e-ere today! Seems like fore-e-ver from-to-day; thought I could ne-e-ver feel-this-way! Is this-rea-lly-me? I'm-a-li-i-i-ive, I'm-a-li-i-i-ive, I'm-a-live!..."_

That's what we were singing at the Jeremy Brewer Day Center in Stamford. And "we" were the Stoneybrook Kids, a kids' show choir that was started by Mr. Drubek, the choir director at Stoneybrook Middle School, and Jason Everett, who is a hero to me and a lot of us kids in Stoneybrook, which is a little town just an hour and a half outside of Stamford. We'd competed in Washington, DC over the summer, and won a few awards. It was a blast.

Who am I, you ask? Well, I'm Karen Brewer. I just turned eleven years old, and I'm in the sixth grade at Kelsey Middle School. I have a brother named Andrew, who's eight, and in third grade at Stoneybrook Academy, my old school, and he's also a member of the group, as is my stepbrother, David Michael. (Get ready for a _big _story later on!)

You're also probably wondering what the Jeremy Brewer Day Center is. Well, it's a workshop for physically and mentally disabled people that was started by my grandfather, Daddy's father, who died before I was born. I learned quite a lot when I read his diary.

Well, anyway, back to the concert. As we performed, I glanced over to my left and saw Jason and Kristy, my stepsister, sitting in the middle of the second row. (By the way, I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but they started going out over the summer.) They were holding hands. Don't they make a cute couple?

After we finished singing, it was met with a loud burst of applause. There was this one guy in the front row with black hair and a plaid shirt, and he was sitting in a wheelchair. You should've seen how he was carrying on when we finished our show. He was pretty loud and flailing his arms all over the place. Apparently, he really enjoyed it.

After the applause started to die down, a woman walked across the stage. She was a little heavyset with spiky hair that had brown and blond highlights in it, and was wearing a pink sweatshirt, blue jeans and a _lot_ of rings. Since we were a show choir, I assumed that she was the music teacher at the day center.

"Thank you, Stoneybrook Kids!" she smiled.

"Thank _you, _Mrs. Crandall," Mr. Drubek answered as he shook her hand. Then, turning to the audience, he continued, "And on behalf of the Stoneybrook Kids, we'd like to thank you for coming to our show tonight, and we'd also like to invite you to join us for refreshments in the lobby. Thanks again."

A few minutes later, David Michael, Andrew, and I met up with Daddy, Elizabeth, Kristy, and Jason in the lobby. The first thing we did was run up to Jason and hug him. "Great job, you guys!" Jason grinned. (See what I mean when I say he's our hero?)

"Thanks, Jason," I grinned.

"Yeah, thanks," David Michael added. "I just wish this wasn't my last show with them."

"Hey, it's all right," Andrew said, patting his shoulder. "We've still got that video of our show in Washington, so you can watch it whenever you miss us."

"Thanks, little brother," David Michael said, cheering up a little. "Tell Archie I said I hope he has fun with you guys."

At that moment, Jackie happened to be passing by. "I'm sure he will," he said. "Hey, remember when we had the All the Children band?"

As soon as Jackie mentioned that, the three of us started singing, "_The sun'll come ou-out, to-mor-row-ow, bet your bellbottoms that to-mor-row-ow-w-w--"_

"All right, you guys, that's enough," Jackie said, but he was laughing. "But still, I'm sure Archie'll have a great time performing with you." At that exact moment, he tripped over one of his shoelaces and fell against the wall. I'm just glad the fire alarm was up high enough so Jackie wouldn't set it off in the process. Otherwise, we'd have a huge stampede on our hands.

"Thanks, buddy," David Michael said, giving him a Kristy arm-punch.

"I'll tell you what," Jackie said a he tied his shoe. "Why don't we talk to your sister and ask her about making you a roadie."

"That's a great idea!" I exclaimed. (I know, I know, indoor voice, right?) "We'll have to talk to Mr. Drubek and Jason about it, too."

"Okay!" David Michael agreed. All in all, a great evening.


	2. A Tale of Two Families

**CHAPTER 2: A Tale of Two Families**

**_R_**emember that big story I told you about? Well, folks, here it is. You see, way back when, Mom and Daddy were happily married, and we all lived in the same house. But before too long, my parents started fighting. A _lot. _As for what exactly they were fighting about, search me. Soon after that, they announced to Andrew and me that they were getting a divorce. Being as young as we were at the time, our parents had to reassure us quite a bit that even though they loved us and always would, they just didn't love each other anymore. It used to bother me a lot that they weren't married anymore, and Andrew really hated it when I talked about it. As a matter of fact, I still remember when I tried to get them together for my seventh birthday party, and all the problems it caused. I could only imagine what Dr. Phil would say about that if I ever told him!

Anyway, Mom, Andrew, and I moved out of the big house into a little one. (Daddy kept the big house, because that's where he grew up.) Soon after that, Mom met and married Seth, who's now our stepfather. He brought his cat, Rocky, and dog, Midgie. (Oh, speaking of Midgie, lately, we'd been noticing that she hadn't been feeling well. Seth told us it was because she was getting old. After all, he'd had her long before he and Mom met, so she was already full-grown when they got married.)

Soon after Mom and Seth's wedding, Daddy met and married Elizabeth, who's now our stepmother. She was married once before, and has four kids from her first marriage, so I have three stepbrothers and a stepsister. Sam and Charlie both attend NYU. Charlie is twenty-one and a senior, and Sam is nineteen and a sophomore. My stepsister, Kristy, is seventeen, a senior at Stoneybrook High School, and to this day, still the president of the Baby-sitters Club, not to mention the best big sister I could ask for. She recently promised me that I could take over the BSC when she went away to college. There's also David Michael, who's my age. He's in sixth grade at Stoneybrook Middle School.

Am I forgetting anyone? Oh, yeah, there's also Emily, who's six and in first grade at Stoneybrook Academy (hopefully, she'll have Ms. Colman for her teacher next year, just like Andrew and I). When she was two, Daddy and Elizabeth adopted her from Vietnam. Even though she's only heard Vietnamese for the first two years of her life, she now speaks perfect English. Nannie, Elizabeth's mother, used to live there, too, mostly to help keep an eye on things while Daddy and Elizabeth were both at work, but she moved out when Emily started school. In fact, she lives in the apartment complex that Jason and his family live in.

There are also pets at the big house. There's Shannon, David Michael's Bernese mountain dog (her mother is our big-house neighbor Shannon Kilbourne's dog Astrid), and Pumpkin, their cat. She came to live there sometime before Boo-Boo, Daddy's old cat, passed away. (By the way, sorry to get off the subject here, but Boo-Boo's grave is still in the backyard right next to Louie's. Louie was David Michael's first dog, and he had to be put down when Kristy was in eighth grade. That was one of the saddest days of my life, and even now, I still feel for David Michael and the rest of my big-house family.)

I also have two best friends. Nancy Dawes lives next door to Mom's house, and Hannie Papadakis lives across the street from Daddy's house. They also attend Kelsey Middle School. Nancy's in my math class, Hannie's in my English class, both of them are in my science class, and we're all in the Stoneybrook Kids together, also. Back in the day, we called ourselves the Three Musketeers.

Also, since I have two of a lot of things, I used to call Andrew and I Karen and Andrew Two-Two, referring to a book that Ms. Colman had read us. It's called _Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang_, and it's a pretty good book I've long since grown out of calling us that, but Andrew still does every once in a while (What a surprise, huh?). Fortunately, he doesn't do that when our friends are around.

Okay, where was I? Oh, yes, getting home from the concert. We pulled into the driveway of the big house, and us three kids couldn't stop singing the songs from our show. "You guys were great," Emily said. "I wish I could sing and dance so I could be in it, too."

"Well, you could always help with the equipment," David Michael pointed out. "I'm planning to do that anyway."

"Okay," Emily decided. "Tell Kristy I'll think about it."

On the way out of the car and to the front door, Daddy picked up the newspaper from the front step, and we went inside. "Hey, look at this!" he said as he turned on the kitchen light. The four of us crowded around him to see what the big news was. Judging by his tone of voice, I'd have to say it was pretty big.


	3. The Announcement

**CHAPTER 3: The Announcement**

_**"W**_hat is it, Daddy?" I asked. It sounded like it was pretty major news.

Daddy cleared his throat and read, "Auditions for _Gypsy _will be at Stoneybrook Civic Center on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday at 7 p.m. Auditons are open to all interested people ages eight and up."

"What's _Gypsy?" _Andrew asked.

"It's a musical about the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee," Elizabeth answered. "Remember when we were at Aunt Theo and Uncle Neal's house, and we saw the movie with Natalie Wood?"

"Oh, yeah. That was also the movie that has the song that goes, _Wherever we go, whatever we do..." _Andrew said.

"I remember when they sang that on that one episode of _The Brady Bunch," _Emily smiled. Then she said, "...as a feather is wafted downward from an eagle in its flight." After a few seconds of silence, she looked up and asked, "Hey, can I get some feathers or a rubber chicken or something?" Then she turned back to us and continued, "I'm telling you, this audience is so bored--I guess you're not gonna ask how bored they are, huh? Oh, well. Anyway, they are so bored, they're acting like I'm reading them the _Wall Street Journal_!"

All of us got a good laugh. "Karen was right. You _are_ getting to be more like Sam every day, Emily," David Michael commented.

Emily's routine must've been contagious, because I started singing, _"Let me entertain you, let me make you smile--"_

Daddy and Elizabeth laughed. "I think you're a _little _too old for that part, honey," Daddy said.

"I remember when Stoneybrook High did that play," Elizabeth commented. "I tried out for the part of Mama Rose, but I ended up playing one of the mothers at the beginning of the first act."

"Why don't you try out for it again, Mom?" David Michael suggested. "And Kristy could try out for--what's her name?"

"Louise," Daddy answered. "She's the one that becomes the stripper known as Gypsy Rose Lee. Her sister, June, becomes known as the actress, June Havoc."

"Can you believe she's going to be 94 this year?" Elizabeth said. "You know, when I was a kid, Nannie used to tell me about how June Havoc was her favorite actress. She kept going on about how great she was in _Four Jacks and a Jill_."

Just then, the front door opened, and Kristy came in. "Hey, you guys," she said. "What's up?"

"The Cvic Center's having auditions for _Gypsy," _I answered. "Your mom and I are trying out for it."

"Count me in," David Michael said.

"Me, too," Andrew agreed.

"Well, I guess that makes four of us," Elizabeth said.

"You should try out, Kristy," Andrew added. "David Michael thinks you could be Louise."

"Oh, great, just what I've always wanted, all those dresses," Kristy said, obviously pretending to be sarcastic. She's not a dress person, in case you're wondering. "Okay, sure. Why not?"

"Wow, five of us now," I said.

"We were just talking about June Havoc," Daddy pointed out. "You know, the Baby/Dainty June character."

"She was also in _Can't Stop the Music_," Kristy remembered. "Mary Anne and I watched it in study hall on the last day of school before Thanksgiving last year, and it was horrible! I still have nightmares about Alan Gray and his buddies trying to dance like the Village People to this day!"

I happened to look over and see Andrew with a very confused look on his face. "Who _are_ these people?" he exclaimed. He had no idea what any of us were talking about.

"They were a little before your time, honey," Elizabeth told him.

"Have you ever heard the song 'YMCA'?" Kristy asked.

Andrew thought for a minute. "Oh, yeah!" he finally said. Then he started doing the arm motions and singing loudly, _"Y-M-C-A!"_

"Okay, son," Daddy laughed as he took hold of Andrew's arms. "We'll talk more about this tomorrow. Right now, it's time for bed. You kids have had a pretty long day."

As the four of us kids headed upstairs, we were all looking forward to auditioning. And boy, would my friends and I have something to talk about at lunch the next day!


	4. Auditions

A/N: Bear in mind, this takes place in October.

**CHAPTER 4: Auditions**

**_T_**he next day at lunch, Hannie, Nancy, and I sat at our usual table. And you know what? The food here is actually pretty good. And after listening to Kristy describing how disgusting SMS' cafeteria food was, I was pretty glad.

"Oh, guess what I found out last night," I said, finishing the last of my milk.

"What?" Hannie asked.

"The Community Center is holding auditions for _Gypsy," _I answered.

_"Gypsy," _Nancy piped up. "My mom was in that one when she was in high school."

"So was Elizabeth," I told her.

"Get out of here!" we exclaimed at the same time. That's something we Thomas-Brewers and the BSC members are known for.

"Did you say _Gypsy?" _Addie Sidney asked as she wheeled herself back to her table. I've known Addie since second grade. She has cerebral palsy, and uses a wheelchair to get around. I've also heard that some people with that disorder are hard to understand when they talk, but we understand Addie perfectly. When I first met her, I tried to do everything for her, and needless to say, she was pretty upset with me. At the same time, Elizabeth's sister, Colleen, and her family were staying with us for a few days while their house was being repaired from fire damage, and their two oldest girls, Ashley and Grace, were treating me the same way I was treating Addie. I soon saw the light, and started to back off a little, and my cousins did the same.

"Yup," I answered.

"My parents and I saw that in Hartford when we were visiting my grandma," Addie said. "June was my favorite character."

"That's who my mom played!" Nancy exclaimed. Then she started singing, _"I have a moo-cow, a new-cow, a true-cow named Car-o-li-ine..."_

"Aaanywaaay..." the four of us said together. Like the BSC members, that's something that my friends and I say to get back to what we were discussing.

"We're all trying out for it," I continued. "In fact, I told Elizabeth that she should try out for Mama Rose."

"I definitely would, if I were her," Hannie agreed. "She's got a great voice."

"I hope Jason tries out," Nancy sighed. "I still remember when he sang to Danny." Danny is Nancy's four-year-old brother. Next year, he'll be starting kindergarten at Stoneybrook Academy.

"Oh, you mean that guy who was in _Carnival?" _Addie asked. "I think he's a dreamboat."

The four of us sighed happily as we leaned back against our chairs. Addie was right about what she said. Jason was _soooo _cute!

The bell rang a minute later, ending lunch. "See you this afternoon," Nancy said as we got up from the table. On the way out of the cafeteria, we were walking in a bunch, and talking in low voices. We were all hoping we'd see Jason at auditions.

After school, Kristy picked the three of us up in her brick-red Jaguar. You know, the one that used to belong to Sam before he left for NYU. "Hi, girls," she said. "How was school today?"

"Oh, pretty good," I answered. "We're all trying out for _Gypsy _this afternoon. How about you?"

"Oh, definitely," Kristy agreed. "And so is Jason."

_"Yes!" _Hannie exclaimed as we exchanged high-fives.

"I knew he'd be there," Nancy added, just as we were arriving at the Civic Center. "Hey, remember when we saw _Inherit the Wind_?_"_

"Yeah, that was a great show," Kristy smiled. "Oh, I didn't tell you this, but at the cast party, Alan and Pete gave him a T-shirt that said, 'I DON'T THINK ABOUT THINGS THAT I DON'T THINK ABOUT'!"

Man, you've never heard anyone laugh as much as we did. Now that I think about it, I'm surprised none of us got a hernia. "So, how'd he take it?" I managed to ask.

"He told them to stay out of Bruce Vilanch's closet," Kristy giggled.

"Who?" Hannie asked.

"He's a comedian," I answered. "He was that blond, fat guy with the beard and glasses on _Hollywood Squares, _remember?"  
"And he was one of the panelists on those countdowns on the E! Network," Kristy added.

"Oh, _him!" _Hannie said.

At that moment, we walked through the front door of the Civic Center. We saw several others, including Elizabeth, my two brothers, Jason, and Bebe. As usual, my friends and I ran up and hugged Jason. I even jumped into his arms. He'd had his appendix out over the summer, so I figured that it was now safe to do that.

"Hi, Karen," he said as he picked me up. "It's been a while since you did that, huh?"

I grinned and nodded as he set me down, and we took our seats. As luck would have it, that's the exact moment when Andrew wanted to have a turn to jump into his arms.

"Did somebody put out a memo about this or something?" Bebe asked.

"Don't even think about it," Jason told her. But he was still laughing, along with the rest of us.

As we sat down, Nancy was on my left, and on my right was a young woman I'd never seen before. She had blond hair and glasses. She basically looked the same way I probably would in about ten years, only her eyes were green.

"Hi," I said, extending my hand, "I'm Karen Brewer."

"Sandy Howell," she answered, taking it. "Believe it or not, I'm actually six and a half, almost six and three quarters years old."

"Six and a _half?!" _I repeated. "You look so much older."

"Technically, my birthday's on February 29th, but since my birthday comes every four years, I don't age the same way a normal person does," she explained. "If my birthday wasn't on that day, I'd say that I was twenty-six, almost twenty-seven."

_"Oh," _I replied. I also remembered the summer I was nine when Mom and Seth had taken us to New York, and we'd seen a production of _The Pirates of Penzance_. The lead character in that show, Frederic, also has a birthday on that day.

"You know, to this day, whenever I see one of my friends, they can't resist singing _'I am a little girl of six and three quarters!'"_ she laughed, and I had to as well.

That's when the director entered, and got our attention. We quieted down, and focused our attention on him.

"Hello, I'm Richard Thompson," he said. "Welcome to _Gypsy _auditions. I'd also like to introduce our musical director, Lynn Anderson. I'll turn it over to her now."

Soon the auditions got underway, and they went a little something like this: Bebe and I were both with a group of girls who were trying out for Dainty June, and another group trying out for the Toreadorables/Hollywood Blondes; Andrew and David Michael were both trying out for the newsboys; Elizabeth tried out for Mama Rose, just as we'd predicted; Jason and Kristy tried out for Tulsa and Louise, and Mr. Drubek tried out for Herbie.

While the group trying out for the newsboys was auditioning, there was one boy in particular that really caught my eye. He was around David Michael's height, and he had dark brown curly hair, olive skin and dark brown eyes. He also had on a white long-sleeved T-shirt, dark blue jeans and white high-tops. And the way he sang and danced, WOW. _He must go to the same dance school as Jessi Ramsey,_ I thought. I'd have to ask Kristy to ask Jessi about him.

About a couple of hours later, Mr. Thompson stood up again and faced everybody. "Thank you all for auditioning," he said. "We'll call you in about a week." I didn't hear him, because I was paying more attention to that boy. He was sitting curled up in his chair and looking down at the floor.

As everyone was getting up to leave, I approached him. "Hi," I said, extending my hand. He just continued looking at the floor. And I thought Andrew was shy! "My name's Karen. What's yours?"

Right then and there, he looked up at me. That's when I first noticed how young he looked. I assumed he was around the same age as me, but he looked like he was only seven or eight. "Juan," he answered softly. As he said his name, I couldn't help noticing that he had a slight stutter, and a _really_ thick Mexican accent. But best of all, he was cute. Not bad-boy cute, like Jason, but shy, timid puppy cute. "I--I think you did a good job."

"Thanks," I smiled. "So did you." And you should've seen the shade of red on his face when I said that.


	5. Who Was That Boy?

**CHAPTER 5: Who Was That Boy?  
**

_**D**_uring the ride home from the Civic Center, I couldn't stop thinking about Juan. "Did you see that boy I was talking to?" I asked Hannie and Nancy.

"Oh, you mean that dark-haired one who was trying out for one of the newsboys?" Nancy guessed.

"Yup," I answered. "And I thought Jason was cute when I first met him!"

"Oh, yeah," Nancy grinned. "And he was an amazing dancer, too!"

"I think I know which boy you mean," Kristy said. "I'll have to ask Jessi about him."

"Okay," Hannie agreed.

By then, we had pulled into the driveway of Nancy's house. "See you Monday," Nancy told us as she got out of the car.

"See you," I called as she closed the door and started up the driveway. Kristy honked and waved as we pulled away from the curb.

On the way back to Daddy's, Kristy looked at me out of the corner of her eye and said, "You know what I think, Karen? I think you like this boy."

"Well, I suppose," I admitted, fidgeting with my seatbelt's shoulder strap. Also, I felt my hands sweating a little. For the first time in my life, I was actually in love. And not like Ricky Torres and I had been when we were in second grade. (Okay, I'll let you get it out of your system: "We are gathered here to join Karen and Ricky in holy mattress money.") But seriously, though, this time, I mean I was in _love, _love.

"You _suppose?" _Hannie asked in surprise. "If I were you, Karen, I'd definitely go after him."

I thought for a minute. "You know what? Maybe I will," I decided.

The following Monday, Kristy came home from the BSC meeting. "What did you find out?" I asked.

"Well, for starters, his name is Juan Romero," Kristy answered. "He's in Jessi's ballet class, and he lives in a boys' home in Stamford."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Did Jessi say what happened?"

"Jessi said his father left sometime after he was born, and his mother's had drug problems and pretty much lost custody of him when he was five, and he's been living in the boys' home ever since."

"Oh, that's _awful," _I said. No wonder he was so shy at auditions. "That poor kid. And he looked like he was having the time of his life onstage."

"Yeah, I noticed that, too. Jessi also told me that Juan feels so alive when he's dancing, and he's always used that to deal with things."

"I'm glad that he has that in his life," I said. "If I see him again, I'm going to try to be really nice to him."

"That's a good idea," Kristy said, patting my shoulder. "I think we all should."

While Kristy and I were talking, I found myself thinking about Lou McNally, who had been a foster kid placed at the Papadakis house one time, and how out of control she was. I still remember when she stuffed Boo-Boo into a pillowcase and held him over Shannon, not to mention how she'd wrecked our playhouse. And don't even get me started on when she dumped brownie batter on Hannie's head. Why Hannie didn't knock Lou's teeth down her throat is beyond me. Thankfully, Lou was able to see the error of her ways, as Nannie would put it. Nowadays, she and her brother, Jay, live with their aunt and uncle, and not only is she much happier and more disciplined, but we're still pretty good friends with her.

Somehow, I had a feeling Juan wasn't going to turn out like that.


	6. The Phone Call

A/N: This contains spoilers from my wife's story, BSC High: Senior Year

**CHAPTER 6: The Phone Call**

_**I **_woke up on a Saturday morning. It would be the last morning of waking up at the big house for a month. Seth was going to pick us up that afternoon. And no, I'm not saying "rabbit, rabbit", so don't ask!

Anyway, I'd just come out of the bathroom when all of a sudden, I heard a voice--with a Romanian accent, mind you--shouting, "Is giant rats everywhere! Get out of the house!"

I kind of had the feeling that it was Sam's voice, but it was hearing him say "giant rats" that made me run downstairs. If there's one room in our house that any rat would go to first, it's the pantry. I still remember when Daddy and I found one in the box of cornstarch, and not only does it make me cringe to this day, but it's also why Daddy set out the traps. And boy, were we glad!

"What's going on?" I asked breathlessly when I got to the kitchen.

The next thing I saw was the pantry door opening and Sam coming out, laughing his head off. "I was making joke!" he howled, still using the accent.

"That's not funny, Sam!" Kristy exclaimed, smacking him with the dish towel. I could tell she wasn't amused. On the upside, though, she had a dish towel instead of a spatula. (I know, I've read too many Ramona books, right?)

"Um, did I miss something?" I asked.

"Oh, Sam was just being Sam," Kristy said dryly. "Apparently, he can't shake off his character from _West Side Waltz."_

"Oh," I said as Sam poured himself some coffee. That's when the phone rang.

"Hello?" Kristy answered. "Oh, hi, Mr. Thompson...Really?...That's great!...Uh-huh...Okay, I'll tell everyone...Thanks. 'Bye." After she hung up, she turned to me and said, "We're all in _Gypsy!"_

"YES!" I shouted as I threw my arms around Kristy. This was the best news I'd ever heard! "What parts did we get?"

"Well, my mom's Rose, first of all," Kristy began. "David Michael and Andrew are newsboys, you're one of the Hollywood Blondes, namely the one named Agnes or Amanda, and I'm Louise."

"Way to go," Sam grinned, raising his coffee cup. "I'll make sure Charlie and I get to see it."

This was going to be such a fun show.


	7. The ReadThrough

**CHAPTER 7: The Read-Through**

_**T**_he next afternoon, Seth drove us to the Civic Center. Andrew was sitting in the front seat, and my friends and I were sitting in the backseat.

"What's a read-through?" Andrew asked as we stopped at the first traffic light.

"It's when the entire cast of a play gets together to read the whole play out loud so we'll know what the story is about," I explained.

"Oh, okay," Andrew said. Just then, the light changed, and we continued on our way.

When we arrived at the Civic Center, we saw Juan with a man, who I assumed was his caseworker. He was a tall blond guy in a navy blue suit and glasses without the rims on the bottom half. "Have fun," he told Juan.

_"Gracias," _Juan said as the man got back in his car. "See you later, Mr. Keith," he called as the car drove away.

"Hi, Juan," I said.

"Oh, hi, Karen," he answered. This time, I didn't hear him stutter. "Well, guess what? I'm one of the newsboys."

"Really? So are my brothers."

At that moment, David Michael happened to be passing by. "Oh, hi, David Michael," I said. "This is Juan."

"Hi, Juan," David Michael said, shaking his hand. "I saw you dancing at auditions the other day. You're really good."

"Thanks," Juan smiled softly. "I take classes in Stamford."

"Really?" I said. "My stepsister has a friend that goes there."

"Jessi Ramsey?" he asked. _"Si,_ I know her. I met her when I was eight, and Madame Dupree was having a six-week ballet class for underprivileged kids. She was one of the assistants."

"And she's a really good baby-sitter, too," I added. "One time, when she was sitting for Andrew and me when we were at our mom's, there was a power failure, and she gave us both a flashlight to take to bed with us. Of course, the power ddin't come on until the next morning, and I'd rather not talk about what we found in the fridge."

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to know, either," Juan laughed. That's when I first noticed the dimples in his cheeks. He looked so adorable!

Just then, Mr. Thompson entered the auditorium. "Okay, everybody quiet down," he said.

We all scrambled to our seats. I was sitting in the middle of the front row between Nancy and Bebe.

"Welcome," Mr. Thompson said. "I'm glad to see all of you. This, of course, is the read-through. And I guess you probably notice that there aren't enough scripts to go around. So, until we can make more copies, some of you will have to share."

As Mr. Thompson handed out the scripts, he continued, "You'll notice that there's a section I've crossed out. It's a scene where Mama Rose kidnaps the boys that are in Baby June's act. The reason why I cut it is because I didn't want to upset anyone in the audience."

The read-through soon got underway, and to tell you the truth, it was a neat story. My favorite part was the morphing scene from Baby June to Dainty June (Myriah Perkins played Baby June, Bebe played Dainty June, and Jenny Prezzioso, who, by the way, still has a major crush on Andrew, played Baby Louise.)

"I can imagine how cute you'll look in that Uncle Sam costume," I told Kristy during the break.

"Thanks, Karen," Kristy laughed. "Actually, I think I'd rather wear that than all those dresses."

Even though we'd just had the read-through, I just knew this was going to be a great show.


	8. Midgie

**CHAPTER 8: Midgie**

_**W**_e had been working hard at blocking rehearsals for the past week. (Yes, I had to explain to Andrew what blocking was, too. I thought for sure he'd remember what it meant after our experience with _A Christmas Carol.)_ So far, we had done most of the first act, and I got to see the morphing scene.

"That's so cool!" I whispered to Sandy.

"Yup," she agreed. "I feel like I'm watching the movie with Natalie Wood."

"Did you ever see the remake with Bette Midler?" I asked.

"No, I don't think," Sandy answered. "I'll have to rent it sometime. Does it have this scene, too?"

"Uh-huh," I said, then I turned my attention back to the stage.

In my opinion, the best part of that rehearsal was the scene with Mama Rose and Mr. Kringelein, who were played by Elizabeth and Mr. Papadakis. When they got to the room where the kids were sleeping and Elizabeth closed the door, it actually fell over. It didn't land on anyone, thankfully, but still, you'd think you'd just heard a cannon go off!

Other than that slight mishap, I think rehearsal went pretty well.

One night, Seth said, "You know, kids, Midgie's getting pretty old, and we don't think she'll be around much longer."

I nodded. This was true. Midgie had been just a puppy when Mom and Seth got married. Not a little tiny one, mind you, almost a year old.

"So, what can we do for her?" I asked.

"Well," Seth said, "the vet gave us some medicine for her arthritis, and so far, it's helping."

"But we still want you to realize that she won't be around much longer," Mom added. I could tell she was struggling not to cry. I knew exactly how she felt, because I'd felt the same way when Louie was about to be put down. (In case you're wondering, Louie had been Elizabeth's old collie who came with her when she married Daddy. He had to be put down when I was in second grade. Kristy even has a baseball cap with a picture of a collie, and she sometimes wears it in Louie's memory.)

Poor Midgie.

Two weeks later, I woke up to find that the house was quieter than usual. I didn't think anything of it, because the little house is usually pretty quiet. It was also the first day of Thanksgiving vacation, so I knew I hadn't overslept.

"Hi, Rocky," I said tenderly as I made my way toward the stairs. He meowed and rubbed up against my leg. It wasn't until I got downstairs that I knew something was wrong, because the first thing I heard was Mom and Andrew talking very softly. I also heard Andrew sniffling.

"Hi," I said uneasily. I already knew why they were so upset.

"Karen?" Mom called. "Could you come here and sit down, please?"

I sat down beside her, and she put her arm around me. I felt like I was four years old again. "I think I know what you're going to tell me," I murmured as I looked at the kitchen clock.

"Yes, honey," Mom answered. "I'm afraid Seth already made an appointment for her to be put down two days from now.

As soon as I heard those words, my heart sank. It was almost as if we were saying, "Okay, Midgie, this is it," and not giving her any choice in the matter. "I'm really sorry, kids," Mom said. She was already crying by this point. "But Midgie's in too much pain."

"We'll all miss her, Mom," Andrew said.

Mom put her arms around us both, and held us. I can't even begin to describe how it felt to sit there and cry together.

The next day was Thanksgiving. We ate the noon meal at Mom and Seth's house. Grandma and Grandpa Packett came for dinner. It reminded me a little of when I was seven, and how we'd had two dinners in one day. I thought for sure it would turn into a Pepto-Bismol commercial! This time, though, we were eating the noon meal with Mom and Seth and the evening meal at Daddy and Elizabeth's house. After our meal at Daddy and Elizabeth's, Seth would pick us up and take us back to the little house. We had a great time, despite our sadness about Midgie.

After dinner, I told my big-house family, "I'll be upstairs going over my lines if anyone needs me."

"Want some help?" Kristy asked.

"Sure," I answered, and we headed upstairs.

As soon as we got to my room, I threw the cushion of my armchair across the room and started bawling. I knew we were doing what was best for Midgie, but it still didn't seem fair.

Kristy was by my side instantly. "I know it hurts, Karen," she told me as she put her arm around me. "I felt the same way when we had to put Louie down. But there's some things that we just have no control over."

I nodded and held onto Kristy. How we were able to go over our lines, I'll never know.


	9. December

**CHAPTER 9: December**

_**E**_ven though I was still reeling from Midgie's death, I was really looking forward to Christmas. This year, we'd be spending it at the big house.

We were sitting in the TV room, watching _A Charlie Brown Christmas. _It had just gotten to the part where Lucy was telling Snoopy that he had to be all of the animals in the play. When Snoopy started goofing around, Lucy starts lecturing everybody about taking direction, having discipline, not to mention respect for the director, and sees Snoopy making fun of her. That was funny enough, but during that part, after seeing Emily doing what Snoopy was doing, I ended up spitting my hot apple cider all over the floor. Everyone else was laughing hysterically.

"Oh, my God, Emily, that was a good one! I just wish Sam was here to see that!" Kristy howled.

"I bet I know what he'd say, too," David Michael added. Then, in a very solemn voice, he said, "I've taught you well."

"Thank you. Thank you very much," Emily said, in her absolute-worst impression of Elvis. Another round of laughter ensued.

After we calmed down, I said, "You know, I couldn't help thinking about Juan just now. I hope he's doing all right."

"You really care about this boy, don't you Karen?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yeah," I agreed. "I really do." I guess that's why I didn't notice my face turning red, and I knew what that was telling the others: I had a really big crush on him.

Of course, David Michael had to the first one to start razzing me about it. "So, um, what happened?" he asked. "Did you go to a movie, bowling? Inquiring minds want to know." The whole time, he was waving his hand around and showing off his watch, as if it were a billion-dollar Rolex. By the way, I want to make a couple things clear: one, it was a calculator watch with a picture of Pikachu on it; and two, it wasn't even gold.

We all got another good laugh. Well, almost all of us. The only ones who weren't laughing were Daddy, Elizabeth, and I. "Okay, that's enough, David Michael," she told him. "If Karen likes this boy, that's her business."

"Okay, Mom," he said.

"I've got an idea," Kristy spoke up. "Jessi has the address for the boys' home where Juan lives, so we can send him a Christmas card."

"Great!" I smiled.

"Can we all sign it?" Andrew asked.

"Sure, why not?" Daddy said.

I was so excited, I forgot all about David Michael's teasing. Juan was just going to love this card!

Two weeks later, the Stoneybrook Kids had a gig at the Washington Mall. It was a pretty fun show, especially for Archie, with it being his first performance with us and all.

Our program opened with "We Need A Little Christmas". Some of the other songs we did were "Little St. Nick", "Seed to Sow", "My Favorite Things", and my least personal favorite, "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer." (I still remember the first time Nannie heard that song, and what she said when it was over: "If any of you _ever _sing that to me, I will personally wring your necks." Apparently, she hated that song just as much as I do.) We ended with a reprise of "We Need A Little Christmas", and I, for one, think we really brought it to them.

After our performance, Andrew and I ran up to Kristy and Jason and hugged them. "Great show, you guys," Kristy told us.

"Thanks, Kristy," Andrew said. "I just hope we do that good when _Gypsy _opens."

"We'll do fine," Jason reassured him, patting his head. "Let's get something to eat at Casa Grande."

"Oh, okay. Great," Andrew said, and the four of us headed to the food court.

While we were eating, Kristy said, "You know, I was talking with Mom last night, and one of the things we talked about was the fact that I don't have my ears pierced, and how you always wanted to do that."

"Oh," I said.

"So, we thought it would be fun for the two of us to get it done together," Kristy said.

I laid my fork down and stared at her for a moment. Did I hear her right? Did Kristy Thomas actually look me in the eye and mention ear piercing, her, and me in the same sentence? I never thought I'd live to see the day.

"Are you serious?" I asked as I started eating again.

Kristy grinned and nodded. After we finished our meal, we cleaned up our trash and threw it in the can beside the table.

We set off for the ear-piercing boutique. I grabbed Kristy's hand and dragged her the whole way. I'm just glad I didn't tear her arm out of the socket!

When we got to the boutique, we stood outside for a moment, then Kristy started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Jason asked.

"I was just remembering something Mal once told me," Kristy answered. "She told me that one time, she, Margo, and Claire watched a girl get her ears pierced. When the woman pierced the girl's ear, Mal said that Claire screamed, and Margo announced to everyone within a hundred-mile radius that she was going to hurl!"

The four of us got a good laugh, then I said, "Don't worry, I'll hold your hand, Kristy."

"And I'll hold yours," Kristy said.

As we stepped into the store, I suddenly remembered something. "Does my mom know about this?" I asked.

"Your dad talked to her last night," Kristy answered. "She said it was okay."

"What about parents' signed permission?"

"This morning, Mom gave me a note to give the lady."

"Good," I said as we stepped up to the counter.

"Can I help you girls?" the clerk asked. She was a tall, thin woman with long, dark brown graying hair down to her waist, and her earrings looked exactly like the shard from _The Dark Crystal._ And you should've seen the colors when the light hit them at just the right angle. It was the prettiest thing!

"Yes, we're here to get our ears pierced," Kristy answered.

"Ah, and am I correct to assume that you have your parents' permission?"

"Yup." Kristy handed the clerk the note from Daddy. I assumed that Mom had signed it, too.

The clerk read the note, then her eyes widened. "Hey, I know Watson Brewer!" she exclaimed. "We went to college together. Baylor U!"

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah! We both graduated Magna Cum Laude!"

"How about that!" Kristy commented.

"Hey, if you think of it, tell him that Annette Cristano says hi," she said. "Well, actually he'd remember me as Annette Ramundo. Cristano's my married name."

"No problem," Kristy said.

"Well, what do you say we get some ears pierced?"

We got down to business. Kristy chose two little gold studs, and I chose pink tourmaline studs, because that's my birthstone. And yes, we held hands the whole time. Best of all, neither of us got sick, or fainted!


	10. New Year's

**CHAPTER 10: New Year's**

_**T**_he holidays came and went. Mom picked us up on the morning of Christmas Eve and took us back to the little house for the day, and we opened our presents. Andrew and I each got a new camera, the disposable kind, since the little box cameras we had just bit the dust. That evening, Mom took us back to the big house around dinner time.

On New Year's Eve, we had a party. This time, Andrew and Emily were actually able to stay awake until midnight. It was their first time to do so. In fact, the big-house family were the only ones at our party, and the first thing Emily did was look around and say, "Are you _sure _this is a party? Where's the music? Where's the dancing? Where's the neighbors banging on the door telling us to shut up?"

"Emily, I've taught you well," Sam said solemnly. He was also laughing, along with the rest of us.

"See, I told you!" David Michael exclaimed. "I _knew_ you were gonna say that, Sam!"

"I bet you're glad you're finally able to stay up until midnight, huh?" Daddy asked.

Emily nodded. "I sort of remember my first New Year's Eve here. Of course, there was no way I could get any sleep with all the noise and cheering. To this day, I still wish I knew what a lang syne was."

"I've wondered that myself," Andrew said.

"Well, on the upside, I don't have to do the 'Never bothered you' bit from _Inherit the Wind," _Kristy giggled.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, we got a letter from Juan today," Elizabeth remembered.

"Oh, really?" I asked. "Do you think he's having a good New Year's?"

There was silence. We all thought about Juan, and how he didn't have a family to be with during the holidays.

"What did the letter say?" I wanted to know.

Elizabeth cleared her throat. "Well, he says thank you for the card and it really means a lot to him with being away from his mother and all."

I nodded. I also remembered hearing about their trip to Australia when the company that Daddy works for had sent him there to open a Sydney branch of his office. Kristy and David Michael had told me about the baby-sitting club there, as well as two sisters named Sara and Toni. According to them, Sara and Toni were very young when they lost their parents, and their grandfather took care of them until he got too old and sick, so he placed them in an orphanage. The story doesn't end there, though. When Kristy and her friends were there, Toni really grew to like David Michael, then before they left, she and Sara were adopted by a family that had a baby. I was hoping if Juan would have a happy ending to his story as well. I think we all were.

"Hey, ten more minutes till midnight," Charlie announced, and we all hurried into the den.

"I remember when Dick Clark hosted this," Daddy commented as he turned on the TV. "I was Andrew's age when I first stayed up late enough to watch the ball come down. It was raining pretty hard in New York that year, and Dad looked at me and said--and these were his exact words, too--'If any of those people think they're getting a hot meal from us, they're crazy!'"

"Did they?" Emily asked as we all laughed.

"Well, there was this one young couple whose car broke down on the way back to Hartford," Daddy answered. "Not only did Dad let them use the phone, he also gave them something for them to take home."

"That was nice of him," Elizabeth said. "I guess he took back what he'd said earlier, huh?"

"Yup."

Next thing I knew, we'd all started counting down the last ten seconds. Amidst all the cheering and noise, I thought, _Happy New Year, Juan. I hope you're doing all right, and I just want you to know that we're all thinking of you._


	11. The Accident

**CHAPTER 11: The Accident**

_**O**_n the afternoon of New Year's Day, just after we finished our noon meal, the phone rang. I went to answer it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Karen. It's Jessi. Listen, I'm calling the first dance rehearsal for Sunday afternoon."

"Okay," I said. "Let me write this down." I grabbed the little notepad and pen from the counter. "Go ahead."

"Okay, the newsboys are rehearsing at 1:00, the strippers are rehearsing at 2:00, but you don't have to come for that if you don't want to, and the Toreadorables/Hollywood Blondes are rehearsing at 3:00. Got that?"

"Yup," I said. "Well, see you at 1:00 on Sunday."

"'Bye." And we hung up.

At that moment, Andrew came in. "Who was on the phone?" he asked.

"Jessi. She says there's a dance rehearsal on Sunday afternoon. The newsboys are rehearsing at 1:00, and the Toreadorables/Hollywood Blondes are rehearsing at 3:00."

"Yeah, and you just wanna see _Jua-an," _David Michael teased as he passed through on his way to the kitchen.

"So what if I do?" I said defensively.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just glad you know how I felt when I first started liking Toni."

I was really looking forward to learning the dance steps, so I didn't mind his teasing.

The following Sunday, Kristy and Elizabeth picked us up to take us to the dance rehearsal.

"Now, you know the strippers are rehearsing today, too, right?" Elizabeth asked.

I nodded. I also remembered the last time we saw the movie at Mom's, and she'd fast-forwarded through the part where the strippers had their dance number. I guess she thought that we were too young to see that. "I'm just glad nobody will be fast-forwarding through it and telling us that we'll be corrupted for life if we watch it," I joked.

"Well, that scene was pretty tame, compared to what we see these days," Elizabeth commented.

"Are movies really that bad?" Andrew asked.

"Well, some are," Kristy answered.

By then, we'd already pulled into the parking lot at the Civic Center. As we got out of the car, I saw Juan heading to the front door. "Hi, Juan!" I called out.

"Oh, hi, Karen," he answered. As soon as we got inside, he said, "Thanks for the Christmas card. It really meant a lot to me."

"You're welcome."

"Oh, the boys' home lets us have an extra allowance every Christmas so we can buy a little something for someone we know, so I got you a present. Sorry, it's so late, though."

"No problem."

"I hope you like it." And he handed me a little box wrapped in black paper.

You should've seen my face when I opened it. It was a charm bracelet with my name spelled out in blue and white beads. "Oh, Juan, it's beautiful!" I exclaimed. "Thank you so much!" And I threw my arms around him.

"Anytime, _amiga,"_ Juan said softly. Don't you just love his accent, girls?!

At 1:00, as soon as everyone had arrived, Jessi stood up in front of us. "This is the first dance rehearsal, as you may already know," she reminded us. "First of all, I'd like to thank all of you for being here, and those of you who aren't one of the newsboys, I'd like for you to please move to the back of the auditorium."

As I found a seat in the back, I saw the newsboys go up on stage with Myriah and Jenny. Jenny placed herself next to Andrew, and I could tell she was still making eyes at him.

We watched the newsboys rehearse, and it looked just like the dance from the movie. The only difference was, they stood in different places and marched back and forth. It was the coolest thing.

After the newsboys were done, my brothers joined us at the back of the theater, and Juan passed me on his way out. "See you later, Karen," he said, patting my shoulder.

"See you," I answered.

The next group to rehearse was the strippers. Sandy was in the middle, and she was holding a toy trumpet. When they started, I thought for sure Elizabeth was going to cover my eyes with one hand, Andrew's with the other, and say, "Not for young viewers." But she didn't. I guess she thought we were old enough to watch, and like she said in the car, it was pretty tame.

Finally, it was time for us Toreadorables/Hollywood Blondes to rehearse. Kristy and I went up on stage, where we were joined by Natalie and a few others.

"Okay," Jessi said. "Here's the fun part. I'm going to teach all of you the same dance, but Natalie agreed that she'd be doing the opposite of everyone else."

We soon got underway. Jessi taught us a series of hand and arm movements, until the last part, which goes, _"Presenting...in person...that 5-foot-4 bundle of dynamite, Senorita Louise!" _then showed us the turns we'd be doing, except when we turned right, Natalie had to turn left, and, well, you get the idea, right?

Well, we never got to that part, because all of a sudden, Natalie and I accidentally knocked heads. For several reasons, I can't repeat what she said, because in all the years I'd known her, I'd never heard her say that before. I mean, this was Natalie Springer: lisping, crooked glasses, droopy-socks, messy-haired Natalie Springer, the same girl who always snorted when she cried. And here she was, going on a rant that would've put the Osbournes to shame!

While the rest of us stood there in complete shock, Jessi hurried over to Natalie. "Let's see, hon," she said, pulling Natalie's hand away from her face. Even though Jessi was tempted to give Natalie a piece of her mind for saying what she said, she was more worried about how badly she was hurt.

And was she ever.

I've seen more than my share of nosebleeds, both mine and other people's. But this one really took the cake. Natalie's chin, left cheek, and upper lip were covered in blood, and not only was her nose twice its normal size, it was also black and blue. It looked like a crushed prune with the juice leaking out.

"Oh, God," I moaned. "I'm so sorry, Natalie. Oh, I feel horrible. I can't believe I didn't see you there."

"Get away from me, Karen Brewer," Natalie sobbingly growled. For a minute there, I thought she was going to scratch my eyes out. Even Pamela Harding, who used to torment her on a daily basis until our trip to Washington, was backing off.

"I think it's broken, girl," Jessi told her. "You'd better get to the hospital now." Then, turning to Kristy, who'd just come over, she said, "Take her to Dr. Dellenkamp. And while you're at it, call her parents at the town hall. The number is 555-7293."

"Got it," Kristy answered, giving Natalie a bandana of Jason's. "Come on, Natalie." And they were out that door in one second flat.

I never imagined something as fun as a dance rehearsal turning into such a disaster, and never in my whole life did I feel smaller and more rotten than I did that afternoon.


	12. I'm Sorry, Natalie

**CHAPTER 12: "I'm Sorry, Natalie"**

_**"I**_t wasn't your fault, Karen," Elizabeth told me as we were pulling out of the parking lot. "It was an accident, and it could've happened to anyone. Besides, Natalie knows you didn't mean to hurt her."

"Then, why did she get all bent out of shape?" I asked. In all the years I'd known Natalie, I'd never heard her so much as yell at someone.

"She was just upset," Elizabeth reassured me. "I'm sure she'll be all right."

"I hope so," I murmured. By then, we'd already pulled up to the curb beside Mom's house.

"It'll be all right," Andrew said as we got out of the car. "Don't worry about it."

Great. Just what I needed. My own little brother telling me what to do.

I never really dreaded going to school before. Well, except for when I'd worn my glasses for the first time. I still remember how Rick had teased me about it. One day, I'd deliberately forgotten my glasses at home, and when Mom showed up with them, reminding me not to forget them again, Rick teased me even more. Well, until he had to get glasses himself. To be perfectly honest with you, I would've much rather gone through that all over again than face Natalie on Monday. It was bad enough that I'd caused her to get hurt, but last night, when I heard from Kristy that her nose really was broken--and in two places, mind you--I just wanted to throw myself off an overpass.

"You didn't mean to do it, Karen," Pamela told me.

"Boy, I've never heard _that _before," I muttered.

"Hey, if it'll make you feel any better, I forgot my gym shorts today," Pamela said.

"Thanks for trying," I answered. I'd just shut my locker when I saw Natalie coming down the hall. And let me tell you, when I saw that splint on her nose, I really felt like crying. I didn't even try to get her attention.

I spent the entire day going back and forth between feeling guilty and wanting to apologize to Natalie, but not knowing how to do it. As it turned out, I didn't have to bring myself to say anything, because right after gym class, I ran into her outside the girls' locker room. "Can we talk?" she asked.

"Sure," I said. She was pretty calm at the time, but I was still bracing myself for a tongue-lashing like no other.

"Look, I'm sorry I yelled at you last night, Karen," she began. "It's just that I couldn't imagine you, of all people, doing something like that."

"Oh, that's okay," I sighed. "If I were you, I would've done the same thing. You know, that's the first time I'd ever heard you swear like that." By the way, don't tell any of my parents I told you this, but I, myself, have been known to throw in a swear word or two before, but nothing like what came out of Natalie's mouth.

Natalie looked at me sheepishly. "Yeah, me too," she admitted. "I guess I was still upset after seeing Chris trying to make a move on Jannie Gilbert."

"Chris _Lamar?" _I repeated, trying not to burst out laughing. "You like _him?"_ I couldn't believe what I'd just heard: Natalie actually liked Chris Lamar, the single biggest square in the entire sixth grade. According to some of the other kids, if you took Jon Arbuckle from the Garfield cartoons, and multiplied his personality, or lack thereof, by 100, that'd be Chris.

"I did," Natalie told me. "I don't know what he sees in a bubbleheaded Nicole Richie wannabe like Jannie anyway."

"Well, when you think about it, he is kind of desperate," I pointed out. "Remember when he serenaded Audrey during lunch last week?"

"Unfortunately," Natalie shuddered. "That was the most painful singing I've ever heard, if you can even call it that. Oh, by the way, remind me to delete 'Hard Habit to Break' from my mp3."

"You got it!" I laughed. "So, uh...no hard feelings?"

Natalie smiled and gave me a hug. I was so glad she was feeling better.


	13. Juan Comes to Dinner

A/N: I'm sorry if my Spanish is a little rusty. I haven't taken Spanish in school for many years. Also, the song Juan sings is "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins.

**CHAPTER 13: Juan Comes to Dinner**

_**T**_he following Saturday, I was watching Elizabeth, Kristy, and Mr. Drubek rehearsing their song, as well as remembering Emily doing that routine she did. I was also thinking about the routine the Toreadorables did before the song started. Not only did I remember to watch where Natalie was standing (thank God!), but we'd purposely gone out of our way to make it as sloppy as we could, since it was supposed to be sloppy. The only slip-up was when Shannon (Kilbourne, that is) and Bebe, who were playing the cow, came out a little too early and Bebe was unlucky enough to trip over her own foot and accidentally pull Shannon's black-and-white spotted pants down with her! Thankfully, she had on a pair of jeans underneath, but still, we were laughing so hard we couldn't finish the scene.

"Uh, ladies, can we please focus on the song here?" Mr. Thompson asked, but there was no way we could've heard him. We were all just gone.

After order was restored and the first half of the song ended, I came out on stage with the letters and did the scene. "That's a good girl, Agnes," Elizabeth said to me. Since I didn't have such a big part, it wasn't hard to memorize my lines.

"Now that I'm an actress, it's Amanda," I said, in a Southern accent. The scene ended with me leaving the stage with the wig. As soon as I got to the green room, I decided to see how it would look on me, so I put it on and looked in the mirror, and almost had a heart attack. That wig made me look like I hadn't brushed my hair in a month! "I can't believe Kristy actually has to wear this," I muttered sympathetically. And as luck would have it, that's when I saw Juan standing behind me.

"Hi, Juan," I said, yanking that hideous thing off. Of all the people to see me, why did it have to be him?

"Hi, Karen," he said. "I'm not even gonna ask, so don't worry."

"Good," I said. "Wasn't that the ugliest wig on the face of the earth?"

"I've seen worse," Juan admitted. "You did a good job out there today."

"Thanks," I said. I don't know what shade of red my face was, but it sure felt hot. "Look, um--I was just wondering if you were busy next weekend."

"No, I don't think so. Why?"

"Well, uh--(AHEM) I kind of thought you'd--_Juanwouldyouliketocomeovertomyhousefordinner?"_

"Huh?"

Good move, Karen. "Do you want to come over to my house for dinner?" I repeated, slower this time. After staring at me for a minute, that adorable dimpled smile of his appeared like magic.

"Sure, I'd love to!" he grinned. "I'd have to ask Mr. Keith, of course. I'm sure he'd approve."

"Okay," I agreed. "And I'll have to ask Daddy and Elizabeth, too. I don't think they'll mind."

_"Bien," _Juan said. "I'll get back to you." And he patted my hand and left. I just stared dreamily after him, then walked away and ran headfirst into the doorway of the utility room. On the upside, Juan didn't have the unfortunate experience of seeing that.

The following Saturday, we got the house cleaned up in preparation for Juan's visit. David Michael, Andrew, Emily, and I were cleaning the living room. Kristy was polishing the silverware, and Daddy and Elizabeth were cooking dinner. I could smell Daddy's breaded clams and spaghetti sauce from a mile away.

All of a sudden, just as I'd finished wiping off the TV screen, I heard David Michael saying, "You have _got_ to be kidding me!"

"What happened?" I asked.

"Oh, the vacuum's not cooperating," David Michael grumbled as he shut it off.

"Uh-oh," Emily said.

"I guess you could say it went from suck to blow," Andrew suggested.

I would've started laughing my head off and told Andrew that he'd seen _Spaceballs _too many times had Elizabeth not walked in at that moment. _"What did you just say?" _she cried. She looked like one of us had just confessed to murder or something.

"Mommy, Mommy, it's all right," Emily said quickly. "He was talking about the vacuum. I think it's dead."

You should've heard that woman's sigh of relief. "Oh," she said. "Well, let's take a look at it." She knelt down, turned the vacuum over, and looked between the wheels. "Yup, it's dead all right," she told us. "We'll show Daddy later. Right now, wash up. It's almost time for Juan to arrive."

"Um, Elizabeth?" Andrew asked in a tiny voice. "Did I say something bad?"

Elizabeth thought for a minute. "I wouldn't say bad, Andrew, but some people might think it sounds inappropriate," she reassured him. "So try to be a little more careful how you say things."

"Okay," Andrew agreed. That's when the doorbell rang, which made Shannon bark her head off. I ran to open the door while David Michael called Shannon to him.

When I opened the door, there was Juan. He had on a red long-sleeved shirt with a little picture of the Brazilian flag embroidered on the pocket, black pants, and black oxfords. Mr. Keith was there, too. Either way, when I saw Juan, I wrapped him in a hug. "Come on in," I said warmly.

_"Gracias," _he answered as Mr. Keith followed him inside.

"Hi, Juan," Daddy said as we stepped into the living room. "Welcome to our home. We're glad to have you."

Juan nodded. "Oh, this is Mr. Keith, my social worker," he said.

Daddy and Mr. Keith shook hands. "Thanks for having us," Mr. Keith said. "Juan tells us he's been keeping busy with _Gypsy _rehearsals."

"Yes, he's very talented," Elizabeth said. "And I hope Karen doesn't mind me telling you this, but she talks about him all the time." I smiled and blushed. I'm surprised my ears didn't burst into flames!

"Well, we were just getting ready to sit down to dinner," Daddy said. "We're having spaghetti and meatballs, and my world-famous clams."

"Well, I'll take the spaghetti, but I'm afraid I'm allergic to the clams," Mr. Keith said.

"Okay," Daddy answered, and we headed into the dining room.

After dinner (thankfully, there were no mishaps), Juan had another surprise for us. "I noticed your piano in your living room," he said. "I play a little myself."

"Really?" Kristy asked. "I go to school with a girl who plays piano _and _violin."

"My Aunt Maria is the music teacher at the boys' home," Juan told us. "I've been taking lessons from her since I was six."

"Would you like to play a little something for us?" Elizabeth asked.

"Sure," Juan agreed. Then he sat down at the piano, and the most beautiful thing I'd ever heard came out:

_"How can I just let you walk away, just let you leave without a trace_

_When I stand here taking every breath with you?_

_Ooh, you're the only one who really knew me at all._

_"How can you just walk away from me when I can do is watch you leave?_

_Cuz we've shared the laughter and the pain, and even shared the tears_

_You're the only one who really knew me at all._

_"So take a look at me now cuz there's just an empty space._

_There's nothin' left here to remind me, just a mem'ry of your face._

_Take a look at me now cuz there's just an empty space,_

_And you comin' back to me is against the odds, and it's what I've got to face..."  
_

After Juan finished playing and singing, everyone in my big-house family applauded. "That was very nice, Juan," Daddy said.

Juan smiled and nodded.

_And I thought Jason had a wonderful voice! _I thought. He was going to do such a great job in the show, no doubt about it.

Now if only I could tell him he's the cutest boy in the world.


	14. Two More Weeks

**CHAPTER 14: Two More Weeks**

_**W**_e had been having fun and working hard at rehearsals. Before I knew it, there were just two more weeks until opening night. So far, we haven't had any more disasters, and Natalie told me her nose was feeling much better. And that's not all she told me. Guess who she likes now? No, not Chris. Scared you there for a minute, huh? But seriously, though, now she likes Rick. And in case you're wondering, no, he's not my "sort-of" boyfriend anymore.

I was watching Kristy and Jason go over the dance for "All I Need Is The Girl". One of the things I noticed was how Jason could make his accent disappear for the character he was playing. Whenever he sings, you can't even tell he has one, but this was the first time I'd heard him talk without it. It was really cool!

"Did you hear that?" I whispered to Nancy.

"Yeah," Nancy agreed. "Jason showed me how he could do that the last time he sat for Danny. It reminded me of Lindsay Lohan playing Annie in _The Parent Trap."_

"Oh, you mean the haircut scene?" I asked.

"Yup. You know, I wonder if that's how Jason felt the first time he got his hair cut."

"I don't know. At least he didn't go to Gloriana!" Hannie laughed. "Seriously, that woman gets so carried away!"

"Ugh, don't remind me," I groaned. In case you're wondering, when I was seven, I decided to get a new look, so I went to Gloriana, and was unfortunate enough to get my hair mangled in that God-forsaken torture chamber. If you ask me, her business should called Gloriana's House of Horror.

I guess Natalie thought so, too, because the next thing I saw was her taking a strand of Audrey's hair and pretending to cut it. "Don't shut _your_ eyes!" Audrey cried in a British accent.

"Oh. Sorry, just got a little nervous," Natalie said.

_"You're_ nervous?!" Audrey exclaimed in her regular voice. "An 11-year-old's cutting my hair!"

"Hey, you sounded just like me!"

"Well, I'm supposed to, aren't I?" Audrey asked, continuing with the accent. "Go on, just do it."

The three of us laughed, and also applauded as Jason and Kristy finished their number. When they ran backstage, I said, "That was awesome, Jason!"

"Thanks," he smiled. "You can tell we've really been practicing, yes?"

My friends and I smiled and nodded.

"How did you learn that American accent?" Hannie asked.

"Well, it started sometime after my Scottish accent began to fade," he answered. "After listening to how other people in town talked, it just rubbed off on me. The only difference is, I didn't need a dialect tape."

"Oh, you mean like you did for _Inherit the Wind?" _Nancy asked.

"Aye. And let me tell you, that Southern accent was _murder."_

"Really?" I asked. Wow. I'd never thought it would be that hard. "You must have practiced it a _lot."_

"I'll say. And being around Logan kind of helped, too."

Besides Jason playing a character named Pastey (where he did a dead-on Joe Pesci voice), I was also looking forward to Kristy's big solo number. "Hang in there, Kristy. Hang in there," I whispered. I could tell she wasn't exactly thrilled to be wearing all those dresses, just as I thought she wouldn't be. I know I wouldn't, either. Somehow, she got through it. (By the way, if I ever have any kids, Pastey is one name I'm never giving any of them.)

While Kristy was rehearsing, I remembered that I'd left my script backstage. "I'll be back," I whispered to my friends, then ran back there to get it.

As I passed the green room, I saw a very sweet sight. Bebe was sitting on the couch, and Andrew was asleep in her lap. Seeing that made me wish I had a camera, but just like on the bus in Washington, I decided I'd better not.

"Your script is on the table, Karen," Bebe whispered, pointing in that direction.

"Thanks," I answered. As I left, script in hand, I had a feeling that things were getting better all the time.


	15. The Dress Rehearsal

**CHAPTER 15: The Dress Rehearsal**

_**B**_efore I knew it, it was the night of our dress rehearsal. (Since Andrew was only four when we did _A Christmas Carol, _I had to remind him about what a dress rehearsal was, too.) On the upside, my costumes for this show were so much better-looking than my costume from _A Christmas Carol, _and almost as cute as my costumes from _Peter Pan _and _Carnival. _Basically what we were wearing was brightly-colored short-sleeved blouses and skirts, long silk scarves around our waists, and black jazz shoes. My blouse used to belong to Claudia Kishi when she was ten, and she said I could keep it if I wanted to. If only my wig wasn't so ugly!

"Not bad, Karen," Hannie commented. "I think your earrings really go with your blouse."

"Thanks," I answered. "I wonder if Juan's seen them yet?"

"I think he'll like them," Nancy guessed. "Oh, did you hear?"

"Hear what?" Hannie asked.

Nancy quickly motioned for us to follow her, and the three of us went into the make-up room. After making sure we were alone, Nancy looked at us and whispered, _"Rick kissed Natalie!"_

Hannie and I stared at her in complete shock. "Get out!" I exclaimed, trying to keep my voice down. I didn't want anyone to hear us, especially Natalie. "Are you serious?"

"Yup," Nancy grinned. "I couldn't believe it, either."

"Who told you?" Hannie wanted to know. And let me tell you, I was floored myself.

"Natalie told me. She said that he heard about what happened to her nose, and felt really bad for her."

"Did she tell you where he kissed her?" I pressed. (Oh, my God, I think I'm turning into Stacey McGill!)

Another grin spread across Nancy's face as she answered, very matter-of-factly, "On the lips."

_"Shut up!" _Hannie gasped. "He really did that?!"

"I'll say. And Natalie also told me how much of a good kisser he is."

Nancy was getting ready to say something else when the door opened. I spun around and saw, thankfully, Sandy. Her costume was really something! She had on a gold helmet, a black and gold top, gold shorts, nude pantyhose, and gold boots, and had a trumpet in her left hand. She looked like a fugitve from _Gladiator._

"Hi, Sandy," I said, but in the back of my mind, I was thinking, _Thank God you're not Natalie!_

"Ten more minutes until we start," she said.

"Thanks," Hannie said.

This was going to be a very interesting rehearsal.

At around 8:00, we got underway. One of the songs I paid close attention to was "Small World." Elizabeth has a really good voice. In fact, if I was the director of her high school production, I would've given her the part of Mama Rose on the spot. She and Mr. Drubek worked great together, especially during "You'll Never Get Away From Me." In fact, Mr. Drubek accidentally kicked one of the chairs while he and Elizabeth were dancing, and I'm not too sure, but I think I heard him whisper a swear word.

_Please don't wring his neck, Elizabeth, _I thought. If you ask me, I think she and Mr. Thompson would have to play "rock-paper-scissors" to figure that one out.

Then there was the strippers' number. Now, don't get me wrong, Sandy has a great voice, nice and strong, but she absolutely cannot play the trumpet to save her life. It sounded like a duck with one of its wings caught under a steamroller. On the upside, the trumpet player in the orchestra made her sound good, but still, it was pretty painful to have to listen to that.

"Is it over yet?" I whispered to Jason.

"Yes, it's over now, Karen," he answered. "At least she wasn't wearing a ring that drew too much attention. Apparently, my Celtic cross ring did just that."

"Really?" I asked. I'd never thought that was possible.

Jason nodded. "Aye. Mr. Thompson told me he heard someone over his headset saying 'He's got too much bling!'."

I thought my head was going to explode, I was giggling so much. I'm surprised no one heard me from one of the wings and told me to shut up.

Well, to make a long story short, the rehearsal went pretty smoothly, and I just knew we were going to blow everyone's minds.


	16. Opening Night

**CHAPTER 16: Opening Night**

_**T**_he next evening, Mom dropped us off at the Civic Center, where we met Elizabeth, Kristy, and David Michael. "Break a leg, kids," Mom said before she drove off.

"We will," I said.

When we got backstage, we headed to the dressing rooms and changed into our costumes, then we headed to the make-up room. Kristy helped Andrew, Elizabeth helped David Michael, and Sandy helped me.

While Sandy was applying my make-up, I told her about when Jason did my make-up for _Carnival. _"He'd painted my face white, and he'd painted a black star over one eye," I said.

"You mean, like Paul Stanley from KISS?" she asked.

"You've heard of them?" I asked in surprise.

Sandy nodded. "My boyfriend, Ray, is a KISS fan. In fact, in our apartment, he's got all his KISS memorabilia in one room."

"Really?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah," Sandy said, reaching for some blush. "Okay, let's have a big smile, so I can put this on." I did, and she continued, "You know, when I was in high school, I did this play called _The Star-Spangled Girl, _just me and two other guys."

"What's it about?"

"Well, it's about these two guys who run a protest magazine, and this girl moves into the apartment next door. Well, the next thing you know, one of the guys starts obsessing over her, and, well, let's just say it makes stalking funny."

"I'll have to read it sometime," I laughed. (Note to self: read Daddy's copy of _The Collected Plays of Neil Simon, Volume 1.)_

After Sandy finished my make-up, she said, "Well, there you go!"

"Thanks," I grinned, then headed for the green room.

Well, I didn't get to stay there for vey long, because Mr. Thompson had called everybody onstage for a little pep-talk. "Well, this is it," he told us. "This is that point where we remember everything we practiced, all the routines, all the songs, and everything else. Now let's all just take a minute or so, let it all sink in, because I know you're ready for this, and deep down, you know you're ready, too. Okay, everybody, let's go out there and show 'em what you've got."

After all the mishaps we'd had, I knew this show was going to be so much fun.

Before too long, the show got underway. The first act went extremely well, especially the Newsboys scene, mostly because Myriah had such a strong voice. _"So let me en-ter-tain you, and we'll have a real good time, yes sir! We'll..have..a real..good..ti-i-i-ime!"_ she sang, and if I were sitting in that audience, I would've demanded they give her a standing ovation. But in my opinion, the highlight of the first act was "Mr. Goldstone". The guy who played him (and also Uncle Jocko, by the way), whoever he was, looked really anxious to get off that stage by the time the song ended. And after seeing how the others were all over him, I actually felt a little sorry for him.

At intermission, I slipped into the dressing room and changed into my Toreadorable costume, then made my way upstairs to the make-up room, which I hoped was empty.

On the way, I met Andrew. "Juan's in there," he said. "I think he wants to see you."

"Thanks," I told him. "Oh, and would you mind telling the other kids not to bother us?"

"Sure," Andrew said, and he ran off as I opened the door.

Juan was sitting on a little couch by the window, and watching the snow fall. When I saw him sitting there in the moonlight, he looked like he should be on a greeting card. "Hi, Juan," I said.

"Hi," he said, turning around, then he scooted over and patted the cushion next to him. He wanted me to sit with him! Ecstatically, I shut the door and joined him at the window.

"You did a great job out there, Juan," I told him.

"Thanks," he smiled. "And I can't wait to hear how you girls do. I've seen you practice it before, and you were awesome."

"Thanks," I said. Then, trying to control my excitement from being alone with him, I asked, "Isn't the snow beautiful?"

"Oh, yeah," he agreed. "As long as I don't have to shovel it. My mama used to let me help her shovel snow as long as it wasn't too deep."

"That was nice of her," I commented. "I remember one time Andrew, Emily, and I were helping Daddy shovel the driveway, and Kristy let Shannon--you know, our dog--out the front door, and she just ran right off the porch and knocked Emily over!"

Both of us practically laughed ourselves sick from that story. In fact, that's the first time I noticed how high-pitched Juan's laugh was. He sounded like a guinea pig! And let's not forget those cute little dimples!

After we pulled ourselves together, Juan looked at me and said, "You have a nice laugh, Karen. It's like sleigh bells jingling."

Right then and there, the room was silent. Juan and I sat on the couch, looking at each other. I was really flattered to hear him say that. "Thanks," I managed to say. The next thing I knew, Juan's hand was on mine, and stroking my fingers. "Um--"

"Karen--" he said, at the same time I'd started to speak.

"Yes?" I answered. By this time, his hand was moving up my arm. I took his other hand in both of mine.

"Karen, I've been thinking about you a lot lately," he began. "Ever since that night at your house when you had me over for dinner, I've really grown fond of you. I can't imagine what this being in this play would've been like if I hadn't found you here."

I was so touched to hear this. "Oh, Juan, thank you," I whispered. "That means so much to me." And I gave him a kiss.

Juan looked at me in surprise. Apparently, he'd never gotten a kiss from a girl before. Then he did something that surprised me: he scooted closer to me, pulled my face toward his, and kissed me on the lips. This was nothing like when Rick and I had our "wedding" in second grade, mostly because he'd only kissed my cheek. No, this was totally different. For the first time in my life, I understood how Kristy must have felt when Bart kissed her at the SMS Halloween Hop. It was heavenly.

If Andrew hadn't opened the door and said, "Time for Act Two!" Juan and I never would've stopped kissing. Still, it was a moment I'd treasure forever.


	17. Good Show

**CHAPTER 17: "Good Show!"**

_**A**_ct Two started pretty well, especially the Toreadorables number. This time around, nobody crashed into each other, and Shannon's pants stayed up. The only--I _guess _you could call it a mishap--occured when Kristy came out in her matador costume and that ugly-as-sin wig to do her part, which was trying to do the split June always did. Well, not only could Kristy not do the split at all, but she also fell right over on her behind. _"Ole, _everybody, my name's Louise, what's yours?" she said flatly. I could tell she wasn't happy about falling over. On the upside, though, the audience got a good laugh, and her wig stayed on. Also, according to the script, Louise was supposed to say her line that way.

"Are you okay, Kristy?" I asked as soon as we got backstage.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kristy answered. "I just wish I knew how to do a split."

Bebe came passing by on her way to the bathroom. "Well, look at it this way, Kristy," she said. "At least you didn't land on your face."

The three of us laughed, then Kristy and I took our places for the next scene, which took place in the burlesque house. When Jason came out onstage, he had on a purple shirt, black pants and shoes, and white suspenders. He also had a cigar with him, and yes, he was only pretending to smoke it. _Jason, don't you ever start smoking, _I thought.

The rest of the show went really well, especially when Sandy's cousin, Kate, and I did our bit. "Meet ya 'round the corner in half an hour!" we both said, and that got more than a few laughs. A _lot _more.

Then there was the scene Elizabeth and Kristy had before the finale. It reminded me of some of the arguments they had in the past, only I knew it was part of the show.

"Do they act this way at home?" Hannie whispered as she sat down beside me.

"Well, sort of, but not quite like this," I answered.

"Oh, um, I heard about you and Juan," Hannie pointed out. As soon as she said those words, I felt my whole body going into overdrive.

"Oh?" I asked. I knew what Hannie was going to tell me next: Andrew told her. If you ask me, that kid couldn't keep his trap shut if his life depended on it.

"Uh-huh. Juan told me."

I just stared at Hannie. "He did?" I whispered in surprise. "I thought for sure Andrew would be blabbing to everyone in sight." And believe me, if there's one thing Andrew does best, it's blab. I found that out after Hannie fell off her bike and lost two teeth.

"Nope, it was Juan," Hannie told me. "By the way, I told Andrew that if he ever told anyone, I'd show all his friends that picture of him in the tub."

"You didn't!" I exclaimed, trying not to explode in laughter. (By the way, of all the pictures of Andrew that were taken when he was little, that's the one that embarrasses him the most. Not only is he in the tub, but his hair makes him look like a blond version of Alfalfa.) After I calmed down, I asked, "So, what did Juan say?"

"Well, he said he'd never been kissed by a girl his age before, and he thought it was wonderful."

"Yeah, I really loved it, too," I sighed.

"So, Juan's a good kisser, huh?"

"I'll say!" I grinned. "So, uh--how about Scott?"

"Uh-huh. Well, except for after he eats moo goo gai pan, that is. I'll tell you, Karen, that boy does _not_ have the common sense to use mouthwash before he kisses me!"

"Try putting one of those little Listerine tabs in his mouth, but make sure you do it when he's laughing," I suggested.

"Good idea," Hannie giggled. "Well, we better get ready for the curtain call." And we got into place.

As we all took our turns bowing, I looked out into the audience and saw them applauding and cheering for us. And you know what? I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world.


	18. Dear Karen, Dear Juan

**CHAPTER 18: Dear Karen, Dear Juan**

_**Y**__ou are cordially invited to attend the wedding of __SANDRA JANE HOWELL __and __RAYMOND __PAUL O'HALLORAN __on __SATURDAY, JUNE 6, 2009__ at __1:00 p.m. __at the United Methodist Church. Reception to follow at Stoneybrook Community Center._

_Dear Karen,_

_Hi! How have you been? I've been doing all right. Guess what? My mama just got out of rehab a few weeks ago, and is hoping to have me back with her soon. In the meantime, she still has to go to her NA meetings and we still have to have supervised visits, but the judge says at this rate, she should be done with them by the end of the summer. The last time I saw her, I showed her the __Gypsy__ video, and she loved it, especially the Newsboys' scene. She told me how proud she was of me, and wishes she could've been there._

_Oh, by the way, I haven't been able to stop thinking about the night we kissed. I hope this means you want to be my girlfriend. If you do, that'd be great._

_Love,_

_Juan_

_Dear Juan,_

_First of all, I'd love to be your girlfriend, even though we live so far apart. I hope Mr. Keith lets you visit Stoneybrook as much as possible. And I'm also glad to hear your mom's doing okay. We'll keep our fingers crossed for you._

_Oh, guess what! Sandy--you know, she played Mazeppa--is getting married! Isn't that awesome? Hope to see you at the wedding!_

_Remember that baby-sitting club that I told you Kristy had? Well, she says I can take over as president when she goes to college in the fall. God, I can't wait! Wish me luck, okay?_

_Well, it's getting late, so I'd better get ready for bed. I'll be thinking of you._

_Love always,_

_Karen_

_P.S. You're a great kisser!_

**THE END**


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